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Top Gun
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Top Gun (1986) -- The macho students of an elite US Flying school for advanced fighter pilots compete to be best in the class, and one romances the teacher.

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   70,831 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 153% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Tony Scott
Writers:
Ehud Yonay (article)
Jim Cash (written by) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Top Gun on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
16 May 1986 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
From the Producers of Beverly Hills Cop and Flashdance [UK Theatrical] more
Plot:
The macho students of an elite US Flying school for advanced fighter pilots compete to be best in the class, and one romances the teacher. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 8 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(143 articles)
The Taking of Pelham 123 Movie Trailer
 (From toxicshock. 18 June 2009, 12:00 AM, PDT)

Director Tony Scott Interview The Taking of Pelham 123
 (From toxicshock. 15 June 2009, 12:00 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
And all the Air Force got was "Iron Eagle" ..... more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Top Guns (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Colour:
Colour (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Most of the actors who portrayed F-14 crewmembers received backseat rides in the F-14, and several of the scenes which appear in the film were filmed with the actors in the air. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Maverick's watch before and after the training flight. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Flight Captain: [spoken as flight captain walks into control room]
[said to first controller on his left while hand is placed on controllers shoulder]
Flight Captain: Good morning Scott
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus (#6.21)" (1993) more
Soundtrack:
Great Balls of Fire more

FAQ

Which motorcycle does Tom Cruise ride in the movie?
more
92 out of 116 people found the following comment useful:-
And all the Air Force got was "Iron Eagle" ....., 3 November 2002
Author: ericjg623 from Twin Cities

If there's ever proof of the cachet of Naval Aviation, this is it. Those poor Air Force guys got a trio of "Iron Eagle" flicks that went from bad to horrible, whereas the Navy flyboys got this great 1980's classic. Sure, it's cheesy and corny, but it makes the cheese and corn taste pretty damn good. A cynic might argue that it's just a two hour long Navy recruiting ad (one that worked for me, two years later I found my ass in Pensacola sweating through AOCS, short for Aviation Officer Candidate School, the program immortalized in "An Officer and a Gentleman") but by making a pro-Navy movie, the filmmakers also got invaluable technical assistance from top Navy aviators, and it shows.

For starters, although this movie takes numerous liberties in order to entertain, the basic setup, in which fighter pilots from the fleet get sent to NAS Miramar, aka, "Top Gun" for intensive training, is 100% accurate. The Navy, back during Vietnam, was getting sick of losing too many pilots in air-to-air combat. The problem, they discovered, was their fighter jocks had been trained for purely long-range missile interceptions, meaning they'd lost their dogfighting skills. And, in Vietnam, several American planes were accidentally shot down by their own side by missiles, so, as a safety factor, enemy planes had to be visually identified, meaning American pilots were back to engaging the enemy at short range, hence the need for dogfighting. The "Top Gun" school was started as a result, and the rest is history.

Now, back to the movie. Tom Cruise is Maverick, a hotshot pilot but also somewhat unstable. If "Risky Business" launched his career as a movie star, then "Top Gun" cemented it. Guys wanted to be like him, and women of course lusted after him. The plot is pure formula, but executed with consummate professionalism. The team who put this movie together knew exactly how to push all the right buttons. But the crème de la crème is surely the flying. I don't think that any movie, before or since, has ever rendered air combat in a more convincing and dramatic fashion. For nearly 100 years fighter pilots have been the modern equivalent of olden knights, men who brought a sense of glamour and romance to the deadly art of war, and this movie gives them a fitting tribute.

8/10

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tom cruise's haircut for the film question hgohari73
where can i viw all the cut scenes?? hgohari73
Kelly McGillis way too old looking for role ... obsolhei
Goose's dogtags cntryblueeye
Delete your post Top Gun style! xerocliche
12:1 kill ratio in Korea and Vietnam? fgoodwin
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